Thread: Hi - but how did you choose?

Hi all.

I've been lurking on this site for a looong time now and used it (and the renovation forum site) alot for advice during the last two years of renovating my period home here in Melbourne. So thanks for all the help.

I work in IT but I grew up renovating barns in the UK with my father. So I know my way around a building site and can pretty much turn my hand to anything building wise that doesn't need a permit, and some things that do, but my dream is to move beyond DIY and actually get skilled at woodworking. I work in IT and everything I've done professionaly is virtual - it's time to take up a hobby that makes stuff that's real. That my kids can keep.

I have a workshop. It's an extended garage about three cars long (standard single car width). I just finished replacing rafters and re-tiling it and it sits empty aside from a sliding compund mitre saw fixed to a home made bench and a pile of recycled timber and logs from the renovation. It's a blank canvas waiting for machines. The problem is that everything appeals. Wood turning, box making, furniture making - it all looks so much damned fun! I don't know which to start with first.

So how did other hobbiests out there get started? How did you choose your first avenue? For $1000 I could start up in box making, turning or furniture making, I just don't know which one makes the most sense as a first try. I'm time poor with a young family so week long projects are pointless for me.

One bit of advice I had is to take a course - but I am a classic self learner - I'd rather just get started first and learn from my mistakes. I already have a considerable library of books on various woodworking topics.

My current thining is to get a good router and router table and start with basic boxes. They're small and I'll need to learn alot to get good at them (plus with a thin kerf blade that mitre saw will be useful). Before maybe getting a bandsaw and then perhaps a lather for making more complex boxes.

If anyone has a story about how they settled on their hobby or some pragmatic advice on how to make a choice I'd love to hear it. Thanks.